'I'm doing an Olivia Ozanne and re-writing the rules.' Reviews close to my Heart

Those of you out there who read and enjoy books are simply great. And those of you who take trouble to make a comment on Amazon about them  are thrice blessed. You warm a writer's heart in what can be a chilly world.

So I have been greatly and  thrice warmed by two new reviews for my latest book Journey to Moscow: The Adventures of Olivia Ozanne from readers who seem to me to get to the heart of a novel which is very close to my heart. 

They seem to describe the book better than I can. They certainly know it.

As our readers you are precious to us. These days if you enjoy a book - any book - a few lines on Amazon is a real and lasting gift to the writer.

Here are two of these precious reviews  on Amazon which have made my week.

Review from A.A

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"There's nothing to not love in this book. A double negative but who cares?

I'm doing an Olivia Ozanne and re-writing the rules. For me this thought encapsulates the essence of this fascinating book, which dispenses with the prejudices, the political and stereotypical misconceptions surrounding the teenaged Moscow as it emerged from its long sleep, post - Glasnost. The writer gives such insight into this period which, ironically, is so relevant to what is happening in Putin's Russia today.

Olivia Ozanne is my hero- totally honest about who she is, warts and all, knowing she has failed as a mother and wife but always remaining true to herself and keeping the faith with her writing.

As always, this writer has woven an intricate tale with many memorable characters, the love of her life Volodya, the grey and brown Aunties, her daughter and son, even the odious Kendrick. They will all remain in my head for a long time and when I say you must read this book, I really mean it!"

Review from AMJ 

Olivia Ozanne is the writer abroad, the stranger alone, a woman who can see

the surface of things and beyond. Well rid of her ex Kendrick and his leather sofa fetish, she comes to stay with her daughter Caitlin. This is post-glasnost Moscow with its fallen statues, burgeoning mafia, newly restored churches, its
phones tapped but no longer listened in to, a city that demands hard currency.

Through Olivia’s eyes we see into the heart of this city and its people. We peer inside their tiny flats into their constricted interior lives, where we meet the mysterious Aunties whose surprising histories, stretching back to the revolution, are slowly uncovered by Olivia.

This is a richly painted canvas of an iconic city, in many ways relevant to our understanding of the Russia of today. It is a story about a woman in search of a new self and it’s hard not to fall in love with Olivia with her enormous appetite for life or for that matter her lover Volodya who she meets at the flower stall. I fell in love with them both. But Wendy Robertson’s greatest gift is in making us fall in love with the place and its people. Gorgeous."

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Thank you to these two wonderful readers and to other readers out there who find pleasure in my stories. I appreciate you, WXX